Madeline Stuart Talks About Getting Her Big Design Break in Hollywood

A portrait of me taken for Vanity Fair. I had been working for just a few years and had become the decorator of choice to Hollywood's up-and-coming agents, studio executives, and writers. The frames are for chairs I designed, and I'm happy to report that I'm still working for the very same client for whom I made the chairs. Photo courtesy of Madeline Stuart

I never wanted to enter the field of interior design, because that's what my mother did—and what young woman aspires to be her mother? So I floundered a bit, mixing creative endeavors with stints in the record industry, thinking I'd eventually end up in promotion or A&R, based on my love of music.

A friend of mine, who'd always respected my taste and style, recommended me to an acquaintance of hers, a young guy who'd just written his first movie. (That movie happened to be Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.) He was essentially camping out in his first apartment, with a futon on the floor and a Barcalounger in the living room. I pulled his place together, got him an Eames chair (he was beyond thrilled when he saw it featured in the MoMA catalogue), a proper sexy, upholstered bed, and the rest is history!

A sitting area I did for an early client, Stacey Snider. (She’s now the co-chairman and CEO of Dreamworks.) I still smile at the Clarence House fabric we used on the chair. I can't imagine using it today, but I love that it features Giacometti's animals. Photo courtesy of Madeline Stuart

He recommended me to a friend who recommended me to a friend, and the next thing I knew I was working for all the hot young talent in Hollywood. Lisa Henson (Jim Henson's daughter) was my second client, and our third project together was the first project of mine to be published, in ELLE DECOR no less. [AD editor in chief and former editor of ELLE DECOR] Margaret Russell was responsible for that! She essentially discovered me and put me in print for the first time. —Madeline Stuart

Lisa Henson's living room remains one of my favorite rooms, and although much about my approach has changed in the past 20 years, this room remains very true to the essence of my work. I wouldn't change a thing. Photo: Dominique Vorillon